The Journal
by AngelKairi
Summary: [sokai, written for old time's sake.] Sora's back, and Kairi's just dying to take a look at the journal Jiminy Cricket kept on their travels... mainly to see what there is about her... [written just after CoM.]


_**The Journal**_

She couldn't stop giggling. "Jiminy… that is one crazy sketch of a Defender. It's all squashed up. Pretty accurate, though."

The little cricket hopped up onto the book, loking uncomfortable. "Yes, well, it's hard to draw properly when your ride is never still…"

The chocolate-haired boy glancing over the redhead's shoulder coughed discreetly and shot an embarrassed glare at the cricket, who pretended not to notice. It was hard for him not to stare at her, when her amethyst eyes lit up in the middle of laughter…

"Sora?"

She had her head tilted to the side now, leaning back to look at him. He blushed. "Uh… look, Kairi! There're Wyverns next! Did you know it actually _kicks _its prey even though it flies?"

The girl laughed again. It was only the third day they'd been reunited back on the Islands, and upon hearing that a book of their travels had been carefully composed and updated by Jiminy Cricket, she had begged to see it. Turning back to the book and flipping the page eagerly, her head bent back to the book, enthralled again. "Jiminy?" She asked. "Sora? Did you guys have details of everyone you met too?"

"Of course!" Sora said proudly, just as the professional cricket added stiffly, "I have information on every single Heartless fought against on our journey, and you insult me as though I'm a common scribe, who forgets half the things he should be writing!"

Blue eyes twinkled at his shamefaced childhood friend; he'd almost forgotten that Jiminy could have a bit of a temper when it came to his work. "Jiminy here was selected by Queen Minnie herself to chronicle Donald and Goofy's adventures," he told her softly, not afraid to flatter the cricket's pride in the process. "Not that we've ever actually met the Queen…" they laughed at the outraged expression on the cricket's face as he jumped huffily off the book and stalked away, muttering under his breath and swinging his tiny walking stick at imaginary Soras and Kairis.

Kairi turned another page, and gaped up at Sora when he yanked the book out of her hands with a grin. "What was that for?"

Blue eyes made her tingle all over when he caught his gaze with her own and said laughingly "Didn't you want to read about the friends we made?"

"Oh. Right." She said, feeling sheepish. "Well… where are they?"

He flipped through a couple of pages, furrowing his brow in that adorable way that always brought a smile to her lips. "They should start… here." He passed it back to her, right way up so she could start reading them.

She shook her head suddenly, red strands flying everywhere, and said to Sora, "Can you open it up on the last page? I want to read back to front."

He cocked an eyebrow at her but obliged.

"Who the hell's Marluxia?"

He almost winced at her vocal way of expressing puzzlement. "Some dude from the Castle…" he said uneasily. "We don't know him too well."

"…'used Namine to overrun Sora's memory'… what did he _do?_"

"Ahahahaha – that. Well, uh," he ran a hand through his spikes, looking down at her, "could we not talk about Marluxi right now? I don't like him much… actually, I don't like _anyone _from the Organisation much…" He grabbed the hournal yet again, ignoring his friend's strangled and damn cute cries of 'Give it back!' to leaf through the pages until he reached something that made him drop the book."

"What?"

She lunged for it, and reached it just before he did. "Riku… Replica? Sora, what went on in that Castle?" Her voice had suddenly acquired a note of urgency and worry.

"You don't need to worry about it. It's not important."

"Yes it is! If my two best friends were involved – I mean, you saw Riku! How was he? At least he's still alive!"

He gritted his teeth. "I don't want to talk about this right now. Can we _please _not discuss it?"

_You've changed so much… for something to wound you so deeply… _"Okay," she said, amethyst eyes dark with worry. "I'll let it go. Here," she passed him the book again, "can you pick somewhere to start that doesn't hurt so much?"

"Ack. Okay then." She heard him muttering under his breath as he busied himself with the task at hand; "Namine… why did she do it…" He looked up suddenly with a grin every bit as fake as his cheerful tone. "Selphie. She's in here, and Tidus and Wakka too. Want to start with them?"

Kairi accepted the book with disguised puzzlement, and giggled out loud at the description. "'A perky girl'… too right… 'from Sora's islands…' _Hey! _Since when have Destiny Islands been _your _islands, buddy?"

He gave another of those 'I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about' coughs, and put his hands behind his head, gazing off into the sky. Anything to avoid her teasing glare. "It wasn't me… Jiminy wrote it!"

"Whatever." She shook her head and went back to reading; Sora risked a peek at her, feeling a bit awkward. _She hasn't changed much… a bit taller, but she hasn't grown much like I have… her hair's longer now, and she's… prettier…_

"Hello! Not dozing off like old times, are we?" She jibed; she'd been trying to get his attention all through his stare. _Oh god, I was staring. _"You haven't changed, you're still such a lazy bum!"

He winced automatically; so many conversations with the language-strict Donald had taught him to not like such rough phrases.

She looked at him, head tilted to the side again and lips slightly parted as though she was about to say something. She didn't, though; just kept on reading. "Wakka… Tidus… Cloud, whoa, sounds fluffy yet dangerous… Cid, I remember him, harsh language… Aerith, she's still really pretty… Yuffie! Yay! Oh, she hasn't changed much; wonder if she's finally got – oh, there he is – Squall or Leon to notice her? Moogles, so cute… Mushu? When did a miniature dragon make it into his list of friends?" This said as though Sora wasn't there, all muttered under her breath – he went pink at her comments. "…Bambi, he's so cute, makes me think of venison, mmm… Dumbo, gotta love those ears… Simba… come on, get to someone important! Oooooh…"

Sora, who'd turned to stare out over the ocean at the slowly setting sun, spun at her low exclamation, and gradually turned red as she slowly read the passage out. "'Kairi. Sora's childhood friend. Sora's journey began as a search for Kairi, who disappeared when their island home was swallowed by darkness…" she glanced up briefly at that, eyes mysterious, and after a moment continued reading, "Kairi was held captive by the Heartless, but thanks to Sora she and the islands were saved… she waits there for Sora and Riku's return.'"

She finished, and closed the book, meeting her friend's eyes. "Well." She said.

"Uh…"

Kairi stood up, suddenly aware of how much taller Sora was – she only reached his chest. _I guess you _have _changed… _"It was thanks to you?"

"Um… that is…"

She stepped closer. "And I waited here for you two?"

He swallowed.

"Do you see me moping around, Sora? Do you? Do I look like someone who's been waiting?"

"Well, I didn't see you before I arrived, obviously-"

"_Wrong thing to say._" She flushed red; she _had _moped – just a bit – until he'd arrived, but there was no way she was ever going to tell him that. "So let's get this straight. I'm your kid friend. I was captured by Heartless. You 'saved' me. And our beautiful island home, like a true hero. Then you went off to 'rescue' Riku, while I waited at home like a good little girl."

This was bad. If Sora ran away now, as he so badly wanted to do, she'd never talk to him again. What made it worse was that there was plenty of space behind him to run into; if he wasn't so caught by the fire in her eyes, bare centimetres away from him.

"You forgot one thing." He sounded distant even to himself; someone speaking from far away, trying to reach out. "It says up there, my journey began as a search for you."

"And…?"

Dangerous ground, but he stumbled on anyway. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" His voice was rough; it couldn't be him that was speaking, Sora could fight darkness and evil but he couldn't say something like this to Kairi!

She was close, too close… "So, what does that mean?"

He closed his eyes now, and swallowed. The worst thing was, he suddenly didn't feel so detached – and this meant that he was doing it all himself. _No backing out of this one, _that irritating little corner of his mind taunted. "That I…"

"What, Sora?"

"I like you, all right?" He gritted out, eyes still squeezed shut.

"Sorry, Sora. I don't get what you mean."

He had a sudden, _very _not-nice description of Kairi in his head then, but he pushed it away quickly, and yelled, "I love you, Kairi!"

She practically collapsed in a fit of giggles, bright red. He heard her go down even before he opened his eyes, and bent down quickly to check if she was all right. Still giggling, she eyed him from under her red fringe, and suddenly latched her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"…"

"…"

Sora grinned goofily, feeling himself melt into a big puddle right beside Kairi. She looked at him quizzically. "Sora? You all right?"

He didn't reply – well, not really. He was too busy kissing her back.

* * *

Because I miss the classics so damn much, those sokai fics that are just that, with hardly any angsting, just pure fluff. This is what happens when you combine an old idea with talking to two of the greatest authoresses - **Raccoon48 & Astaldotholwen** - about the 'good old times' and an odd emoticon or two. xD Hope everyone enjoyed. It was fun to write- o.O a proper oneshot instead of a drabble for once! And I've always wanted to try the "..." and ".." bit too, I've never done that in a fic.

So yeah. Please review, for the sake of old times and Tally's happiness!

Ciao!

**Tally****. SilverAuthoress. _Rikku_. AngelKairi.**

**-x- **_crack!_pa**i**r**i**ng g**o**dde_ss _**-x-**


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